The first time I had a salon pedicure was when I lived in New Orleans. The woman soaked my feet and meticulously cleaned and trimmed each toenail. At the same time, she removed any trace of dead or loose skin from my toes.

Then she did something I didn’t expect. She took out a metal instrument that had a razor blade in it and began to scrape my feet. She was literally shaving skin from the calluses on my feet. I was a bit terrified, but I could see that she knew what she was doing so I quickly settled down and let her get to work.

The result of this foot scraping session was very soft feet that I have never been able to achieve on my own.

Needless to say, I became addicted. And spa pedicures with obligatory foot scrapings became a common occurrence for me. My heels and feet never looked so good.

When I moved to Georgia, I continued to have these foot spa sessions until a couple of times when I found my feet were very itchy after the spa pedicure session. These days, my daughter and I do each other’s feet.

Recently, however, while on a trip in Virginia, I got a spa pedicure at a place where they didn’t use foot razors. I felt cheated — like I didn’t get my money’s worth. I mean, I was really looking forward to having my calluses shaved! When I asked about the foot razor, they informed me that they don’t use them anymore for sanitary reasons.

Are Foot Razors Unsanitary?

Doctors warn that some of the practices of manicurists are less than sanitary. Apparently, many people have acquired fungal and bacterial infections due to foot baths that were not clean enough, and tools that were not sanitized between uses.

Most of the time, an infection from a pedicure is caused by contaminated instruments. This could lead to a nail fungus and those are very slow to progress .. Some of the symptoms of a fungus infection will be that the skin is very sore and red around the nail. If broken skin was infected during the pedicure, it may become pussy.” — Roxanne Kerr, Medical Assistant, Bloomington Podiatry Centre

Sadly, my beloved foot razors are no longer legal for use in spas in many states. In an effort to reduce the number of foot infections obtained from salons, many states have indeed banned pedicure razors that are used to scrape rough heels and feet.

According to Renu Day Spa: “It is illegal to use a razor blade during a pedicure because the more aggressively you treat the skin, the faster it grows back. It is also dangerous because you can get cut and develop infections from dirty toes.”

Where To Find Foot Razors

If you miss having your calluses shaved with a foot razor in the salons… Good news, you can now find foot razors in stores!

If you are brave enough to use one, you can get a foot razor at most drug stores for $10 to $20. You can also purchase a new safer version called the ped egg for less than $15.

Just be careful… You may want to choose a foot file instead — they’re safer and easier to use. For the safest option of all, consider foot exfoliants. You simply rub the gel or cream on your feet and the dead, dry skin begins to slough off.

Making a mistake with a razor could cause an infection and damage to the skin. Files are easier and safer to use. After filing feel the bottom of your feet to check for smoothness. You will still feel some of the callus but you should feel a difference. Do not over file, which would cause redness and irritation. Source

I have been a certified tightwad since I became pregnant with my first child and decided to find a way to stay home with him. I enjoy sharing my experiences in my journey back to financial health and planning for a future -- which will include sending 2 kids to college and early retirement.